Santos Is Simply Too Tough for Alabama

Miami’s Alex Santos didn’t have his best stuff and it was still more than enough to end Alabama’s 16-game winning streak.

Santos, a right-hander, pitched a four-hitter, Kevin Brown homered off the left field foul pole and the Hurricanes had 14 hits in an 8-1 victory over Alabama on Sunday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Santos (12-3), a fourth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays earlier this month, saw the end of a 13-inning streak in Omaha without yielding an earned run but he didn’t give up much more. He hit one batter and walked four but still struck out six in 6 2/3 innings.

“I don’t think it was as good as it has been in the past,” Santos said. “Thankfully enough, I was able to throw strikes when I had to. But my control wasn’t what it was supposed to be.”

The top-seeded Hurricanes (48-13) helped Santos by scoring three runs in the seventh to increase a 3-1 lead and break open a pitching duel with Alabama’s Manny Torres (10-3).

Santos gave up only an infield single through five innings but Andy Phillips hit a leadoff double in the top of the sixth to extend his Southeastern Conference-record hitting streak to 35 games.

G.W. Keller followed with a first-pitch double to the corner in left, scoring Phillips to pull the Crimson Tide within 2-1. It was the first earned run off Santos at the CWS since he lost to Alabama as a freshman in 1997.

Santos responded by striking out Jeremy Brown, Kelley Gulledge and Darren Wood.

Rice 7, Oklahoma State 2--Right-hander Kenny Baugh (12-2) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings as the Owls made the Cowboys the first team eliminated from the College World Series.

Rice (59-14), seeded eighth, plays fifth-seeded Alabama (52-15) in an elimination game Tuesday.

Fourth-seeded Oklahoma State (46-21) had plenty of chances to score. The Cowboys loaded the bases with no outs in the first and second innings but produced no runs. They stranded 12 runners, seven in scoring position.

Cal State Fullerton Coach George Horton hopes that his team can become the 10th team to win the College World Series after losing its first game as the Titans head into an elimination game against Texas A&M; today.

“We only have to look back to last year with USC to see that it can be done,” Horton said. The Trojans lost their first game to Louisiana State, 12-10, but came back to defeat Florida, Mississippi State and LSU twice before winning the championship against Arizona State.

The Titans, who lost to Stanford, 9-2, Saturday night, would have to win five games in six days to duplicate USC’s run.

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Today’s Games

* Florida State (54-12) vs. Stanford (49-13), 12:30 p.m.

* Texas A&M; (52-17) vs. Cal State Fullerton (49-13), 4:30 p.m.

All times Pacific